Affiliate, Sponsorship & Endorsement Disclosure
Effective date: [EFFECTIVE_DATE]
This disclosure explains how [COMPANY_LEGAL_NAME] handles affiliate relationships, sponsorships, paid endorsements, and material connections, in line with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising" (16 CFR Part 255), the UK CMA's guidance on hidden advertising, the EU UCPD, and similar rules in other markets.
1. Affiliate links
Some content we publish (on our blog, in newsletter emails, or in marketing material) may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. We only link to products and services we genuinely believe are useful for families and children's learning.
How we mark them: every affiliate link is marked with the label "affiliate link" or "#ad" immediately next to or within the link text. We never disguise an affiliate link as a regular link.
2. Sponsored content
If a piece of content is paid for by a third party in any form — including free products provided for review — we label it clearly:
- "Sponsored" at the top of the content
- "Paid partnership with [SPONSOR_NAME]" in the byline
- "#ad" in headlines on social media
We never accept sponsorship in exchange for changing our editorial point of view. We disclose the sponsor's involvement up front so you can weigh the content accordingly.
3. Testimonials and reviews
When we publish a testimonial or review by a parent, teacher, or expert:
- The testimonial reflects the testifier's actual experience.
- If the testifier received free access, a discount, or any compensation in exchange for the testimonial, we say so clearly next to the testimonial.
- We do not edit testimonials in a way that changes their substance.
- We do not pay parents or children for reviews. We may invite parents to our beta and quote (with permission) what they say back to us in feedback channels — when we do, we mark it "from our beta community".
4. Influencer partnerships
If we work with influencers (creators, podcasters, parent-educators):
- They must disclose the partnership at the start of their content with #ad or "Paid partnership with [PRODUCT_NAME]".
- Disclosure must be visible without expanding a caption.
- We do not script the influencer's opinion. We do require accurate claims about the product (no exaggerated outcomes, no implication that children will learn at specific paces, no comparison to specific competitors without evidence).
A creator who fails to disclose properly — even after a reminder — will be removed from the program.
5. Affiliate program for creators (if applicable)
If you join our affiliate program, you agree to:
- Disclose your affiliate relationship in every post that contains an affiliate link, using "affiliate link" or "#ad".
- Disclose at the top of the post, before the link, so a reader on a small screen sees it before deciding to click.
- Make only truthful claims about [PRODUCT_NAME] based on your own experience.
- Not target children directly (you may, of course, talk to parents about children's products).
- Not run ads on search keywords containing our brand name unless we authorise it in writing.
- Comply with FTC, UK CMA, EU UCPD, and equivalent local rules.
Commissions are calculated and paid per the program's specific terms at [AFFILIATE_TERMS_URL].
6. Children and endorsements
We do not use endorsements or testimonials from children. Children's likenesses are not used in marketing without:
- Written, informed consent from both the child (where age-appropriate) and the parent/guardian
- A clear understanding of where the material will appear and for how long
- The right to revoke consent and have the material removed within a reasonable time
We do not pay children for endorsements.
7. Research and clinical claims
If we publish claims about learning outcomes (e.g., "kids progress X% faster"), we will base them on:
- Published, peer-reviewed research, or
- Independent or internal studies with the methodology made available on request
We will not present anecdotes as if they were research.
8. Updates
This disclosure may change. The current version lives at [AFFILIATE_DISCLOSURE_URL]. Material changes will be announced where relevant.
9. Contact
Questions about an affiliate relationship, sponsorship, or disclosure: [MARKETING_EMAIL] or [LEGAL_EMAIL].